LaMarcus Aldridge Says He’s Happy In Portland “Right Now”

I’m not sure anybodies name has been dangled around in trade rumors more than LaMarcus Aldridge. Blazers general manager Neil Olshey has been on record denying that he’s considered trading the 2-time all-star.

The problem is that Portland is in that dangerous “gray area”, which basically means they aren’t good enough to make a title run, but not bad enough to gather a top 5 pick in the draft.

In the NBA, you either want to be really good or really bad. It’s virtually pointless to sneak in the playoffs just to get bounced quickly.

“I’m happy here right now,” Aldridge told USA TODAY Sports while sitting on a bench inside the team’s practice facility. “I feel like we have a team that can win, that can make noise, and I feel like if we buy in then anything is possible. So I’m happy, and it’s still my team and I’m playing well.

“I feel like the team has jelled around me. I feel like coach (Terry Stotts) has trusted me more this year to where I’m getting different opportunities that I didn’t get last year, so I think everything is going great right now.”

Notice how Aldridge put an emphasis on “right now”. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s singing the same tune around the trade deadline.